Why am I not losing?!

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  • Chickee8586
    Chickee8586 Posts: 155 Member
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    you need to open the diary if you want constructive criticism. also you need to weigh everything that is not a liquid that passes you lips (you can measure most liquids with accuracy) it's the only thing that will tell you the accurate caloric intake. last as pointed out the calories burned are easily overstated so either eat back half of them or measure them more accurately with a HRM like a Fitbit

    As for the EAt more your bady is going into Starvation mode hanging on to every calorie that's utter BS starvation mode is a myth
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    Thank you! Yes, there is a starvation mode. It happens when the body is deprived of just about all caloric intake over a period of time that is much longer than say 3-4 hours between meals. Will your metabolism slow slightly when you eat low calories over an extended period of time, yes absolutely. But nowhere near the actual "starvation mode". Will you have full energy if you don't eat enough calories? No. Will you get hungry? Yes. Will it sabotage your weight loss journey? No.
  • johnboy1229
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    It sounds like there is something with nutrition going on. What are you eating for your main meals and what do you eat before and after your workouts? Do you take any multivitamins or supplements? And, what other beverages do you drink daily? You mentioned that you have one treat per week, what is that treat? On your pie chart, what are your percentages of carbs, protein and fat? Check the percentages for the month, not daily. You could open your diary for a day so that others can see what your diet consists of. I'm certain that its nutritional balances.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    1200 is REALLY low for someone of 220lb even without going to the gym. If you are working out on top of that and not eating back those calories, or at least half (to compensate for over zealous burn counting), you can very well plateau since your body is craving more nutrients so as not to consume your muscles. Search 1200- you will see the list of evils that comes back associated with this magical number that lord knows where it came from or whom decided it was the end all be all goal of weight loss. You probably need to eat more - very counter intuitive to what you have been taught or absorbed.

    This x 1000. You're eating way too little. Check out this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ I entered your height, weight, age, and activity level, and it told me your BMR is 1808 and your daily calories should be either 1989 or 2242, depending on how active you are. Eating below your BMR isn't healthy. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn in a day even if you were in a coma or asleep for the whole day. Give yourself the fuel you need for your workouts and help your body function at its best!

    Eating below your BMR is perfectly fine. MFP suggests that I eat 500 calories below my BMR.

    eating 500 below TDEE is great, may have to around or slightly below BMR, but eating 500 cal below BMR unless you have 100+ lbs to lose would be far to aggressive of weight loss.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I don't think the starvation mode is fully a myth, if your body isn't getting the right amount of calories then you metabolism will slow right down which mean you won't lose any weight

    Your metabolism will slow down slightly, so the deficit you think you have will be smaller than estimated, leading to slower weight loss, but weight loss would not stall if you are in a deficit. So if you think you are in a 1000 cal deficit, but your metabolism slowed down, not that deficit may only be 700-900 but you would still lose.
  • jeyloz
    jeyloz Posts: 36
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    Thanks for all the replies, a lot for me to read through which is great!

    From all your suggestions I guess it could be not eating enough : /

    I'm definitely weighing all my foods right and tracking calories accurately, so I don't think that is the issue. Tracking the calories burnt I depend on the machines at the gym, they do have heart rate monitors and take all your stats, but I am planning on buying a proper heart rate monitor if any of you can recommend a good, reasonably priced one!

    It's great to get so many responses though, at least now I know what the possibilities are and can hopefully rectify it, I guess there is also the chance that I'm just being impatient and not giving my body time to adjust.
  • jeyloz
    jeyloz Posts: 36
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    Forgot to mention I also recalculated my suggested calorie intake and it has gone up to 1480 instead of 1200. Would that many calories a day really make so much of a difference?!

    I probably seem completely clueless, I have been reading up on lots of weight loss info and healthy approaches, as that is what I'm aiming for; but the amount of contradicting information is ridiculous!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    The extra 280 calories a day can make a huge difference in the amount of nutrition you take in and how you feel about your eating plan. The goal should be to eat as many calories as you can and still lose weight, not to eat as few calories as physically possible. For significant, long-term weight loss, you're going to have to find a plan you can live with and thrive on for years. A lot of people try to go as aggressively low with their calories as they can stand in the beginning, but I can't imagine living on 1200 for a year or more without breaking.

    The other thing to remember is that the number on the scale is just one data point. You should also be measuring and taking pictures, because some weeks you'll lose inches but not pounds, and vice versa. Three weeks isn't a long time at all, so give it some more time.

    (Disclaimer: this is all contingent on accurate tracking! I know you've said you're confident in your tracking, but the most likely explanation is that you're underestimating your intake or overestimating your burn.)
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
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    I'm definitely weighing all my foods right and tracking calories accurately, so I don't think that is the issue. Tracking the calories burnt I depend on the machines at the gym, they do have heart rate monitors and take all your stats, but I am planning on buying a proper heart rate monitor if any of you can recommend a good, reasonably priced one!

    Polar H7. $50-$60 on Amazon. Bluetooth's into phone (Android and iPhone) so no watch needed. It doesn't sync to MFP, but it's not that big of a deal for me to just enter the number from one to the other.
  • jeyloz
    jeyloz Posts: 36
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    I'm definitely weighing all my foods right and tracking calories accurately, so I don't think that is the issue. Tracking the calories burnt I depend on the machines at the gym, they do have heart rate monitors and take all your stats, but I am planning on buying a proper heart rate monitor if any of you can recommend a good, reasonably priced one!

    Polar H7. $50-$60 on Amazon. Bluetooth's into phone (Android and iPhone) so no watch needed. It doesn't sync to MFP, but it's not that big of a deal for me to just enter the number from one to the other.

    Thanks that's great!
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    I guess there is also the chance that I'm just being impatient and not giving my body time to adjust.

    2 pages, and mostly arguing about the existence of 'starvation mode' :smile:

    Here's the first place to start Down-Arrow.png

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=sexypants

    And I'll throw my ( worthless Canadian ) 2 cents in, and say.... It's been 3 weeks. If you've made a crapload of changes, give it a bit more time, before you make any more moves.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
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    I guess there is also the chance that I'm just being impatient and not giving my body time to adjust.

    2 pages, and mostly arguing about the existence of 'starvation mode' :smile:

    Here's the first place to start Down-Arrow.png

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=sexypants

    And I'll throw my ( worthless Canadian ) 2 cents in, and say.... It's been 3 weeks. If you've made a crapload of changes, give it a bit more time, before you make any more moves.
    you've been hording pennies, i have to throw in nickles now
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    I guess there is also the chance that I'm just being impatient and not giving my body time to adjust.

    2 pages, and mostly arguing about the existence of 'starvation mode' :smile:

    Here's the first place to start Down-Arrow.png

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=sexypants

    And I'll throw my ( worthless Canadian ) 2 cents in, and say.... It's been 3 weeks. If you've made a crapload of changes, give it a bit more time, before you make any more moves.
    you've been hording pennies, i have to throw in nickles now

    3 cents rounds up to a nickel. 2 cents rounds down to nothin'. I thought this thread was about starvation mode?
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    I would NOT recommend a Timex HRM for tracking calories. They are notoriously high when it comes to calorie burns, like 30-40% too high. Polar has a better reputation where accuracy is concerned.
  • jeyloz
    jeyloz Posts: 36
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    I would NOT recommend a Timex HRM for tracking calories. They are notoriously high when it comes to calorie burns, like 30-40% too high. Polar has a better reputation where accuracy is concerned.

    I have been looking at the Polar ones but I just don't have the money right now. Hopefully I'll be able to afford it in a few months. It's so annoying cos I really want to track my exercise properly, would you recommend the chest monitor or just the wrist?
  • Trukngrl
    Trukngrl Posts: 106 Member
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    Craigslist and Ebay are great places to start to source out a second hand cheap one.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    If you are pretty sure on your eating levels (and it would be hard to wipe out a true 1000 calorie deficit when it was working), decently accurate logging, are you doing any of the following to yourself yet - or are you headed in that direction if you continue?

    To the naysayers - notice I did say IF above. Calorie burns don't matter if not eating them back.

    http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales?month=201401

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/710742--starvation-mode-exercise-calories-dillema
  • jeyloz
    jeyloz Posts: 36
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    If you are pretty sure on your eating levels (and it would be hard to wipe out a true 1000 calorie deficit when it was working), decently accurate logging, are you doing any of the following to yourself yet - or are you headed in that direction if you continue?

    To the naysayers - notice I did say IF above. Calorie burns don't matter if not eating them back.

    http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales?month=201401

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/710742--starvation-mode-exercise-calories-dillema


    This all makes complete sense to me, honestly I haven't been eating all of my calories back, in fact I've probably not been eating enough full stop. I'm in training for a 5k run so I will definitely be taking that into account with my calorie consumption. Thanks.